CHANDIGARH: Blowing hot and cold over the probable fee hike in the coming academic session (2019-20), the authorities at Panjab University have been oscillating between extremes since March to have finally inched towards the golden mean now.

Chaudhary Santokh Singh has been re-elected as Jalandhar MP. Amid meetings with people, receiving bouquets and getting congratulatory calls, Chaudhary talked to The Tribune. He talks about his priorities in his new tenure as MP. Chaudhary said he was being made a villain on the Ganna village issue.

Your priority in new tenure?

My first priority is to make sure that the energy of the youths is tapped here. It is a common phenomenon in Doaba that youngsters are moving abroad. I want to stop this. So, my idea is to bring heavy industry here, which will help in the economic growth of Jalandhar and generate employment. I also want the youths of the region to become entrepreneurs. Whenever I meet anyone, be it a trader or an industrialist, they tell me that their wards do not want to stay here. I want to create an environment so that the talent of my constituency remains here. For this, I will hold meetings with people in which industrialists and MLAs will be involved and new ideas invited. An AIMS-like hospital will be opened here. Completion of the smart city project, tackling pollution and traffic problems will be other priorities.

What about Ganna village that you had adopted?

That is a gone case. The Government of India did not provide me with any help. I had adopted the village, not for infrastructural development. There was crime and problem of drugs in the village. I wanted to bring reform there. I had written many times to the Centre to sanction de-addiction and skill development centres. I requested the Social Justice Ministry to provide me grant for the sewerage system, but they refused. But still, I am being portrayed as a villain in this regard. I have got a playground and community hall constructed there. Now, if there is any discussion regarding the adoption of the village, I will refuse. We had also opposed the adoption of second village.

You had won with a margin of 70,000 votes last time but this time it dipped to 20,000. What do you think played negative for you?

We are trying to ascertain the factors, which might have resulted in the dip. I think by playing the religious card in the last days led to polarisation. The BJP touched religious sentiments. Even the BSP played a religious card and they misled Dalit voters. Also, we could not provide proper civic amenities to Jalandhar residents. But this time, we will take care of this issue. I will aggressively raise issues for Jalandhar residents this time.

Dalits largely voted for the BSP. How will you bring them back?

Yes, the Dalits voted for the BSP this time. But we will reach out to them. They have always been with us because my family has done a lot of work for them. We are the ones who have rolled out various schemes for them. I can challenge that no one else has worked for Dalits the way our family did. I want to ask what the BSP did for them?

Did SAD fund BSP?

Yes, they wanted to damage the Congress’ share of votes. It is Sukhbir Badal who selects the candidate from the BSP and then that candidate is fielded against me. Later, they fund the candidate. It happens every time.

Jalandhar North and Jalandhar Central came as a big disappointment. What went wrong?

These two constituencies have urban voters. In my opinion, I have not been able to provide proper civic facilities in these constituencies. No matter who is associated with this, I will take the responsibility. Now, I have made up my mind. I would take steps to provide every facility in these areas.

JALANDHAR: While 57,853 votes in the Shahkot Assembly segment for the Congress remained pivotal in sealing its victory on the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat, in many Assembly constituencies a close contest among the Congress, Akali Dal and BSP was witnessed.

JALANDHAR: Having failed to deliver the possession of plots even 10 years after the scheduled date, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to pay compensation of Rs 27,000 to Suvikram Jyoti, a resident of Panchkula.

JALANDHAR: Amid tight security and surveillance, four-tier security, anti-riots teams, paramilitary forces and water canon vehicles, the counting of votes polled in the Jalandhar constituency took place on a peaceful note at the Land Records Building, also called BLR building, located on the Kapurthala road.

PHAGWARA: On a complaint filed by Surinder Kaur, a resident of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar locality, the police have registered a case under Sections 363 and 366-A of the IPC against a youth Amrit Singh, of the same locality, on the charge of abducting the minor daughter of the complainant on the pretext of marrying her.

JALANDHAR: When Jalandhar Lok Sabha BSP candidate Balwinder Kumar entered into political arena about two years ago as Kartarpur Assembly seat candidate, he was dubbed as a novice and polled about 5,208 votes.

PHAGWARA: The partial role played by the Congress candidate Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal during the communal violence, which took place in Phagwara last year, factionalism in the Congress and the silence of former Union Minister Santosh Chaudhary, over the denial of party ticket, might be the main reason that led to the defeat of Chabbewal in Hoshiarpur parliamentary segment.

JALANDHAR: Even as the 10.18 lakh voters for the Jalandhar Parliamentary seat had an option to choose from any of the 19 candidates, as many as 12,324 persons preferred choosing none of the above (NOTA) option, which was the 20th option on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

JALANDHAR: Though Congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh won the Lok Sabha seat from Jalandhar today, it was just a saving grace for him in the Phillaur Assembly constituency, from where his son Vikramjit Chaudhary was a contestant during the Assembly poll.

JALANDHAR: If any Jalandhar MLA would be again feeling assertive about his position in Jalandhar post-the Lok Sabha poll results today, it certainly would be Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia from Shahkot.

JALANDHAR: Four companies of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), four-tier security, water cannon vehicles and anti-riot teams are set for tomorrow, when the counting of votes will be done and the results will be declared for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

JALANDHAR: Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Adarsh Nagar, here, has excelled in the field of National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) and the Punjab State Talent Search Examination (PSTSE), which aim to provide financial support in the form of scholarship to students.

HOSHIARPUR: The counting of votes for 9 assembly segments for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha constituency will be held at 2 counting centres set up at Rayat-Bahra Educity on the Chandigarh road and the MSDC-ITI on the Jalandhar road.

In February this year, nearly 1,000 students (from classes six to eleven) of a school in eastern Kolkata selected a stretch of road as their canvas to create colourful street floor art, or alpana (also alpona), as part of the Saraswati Puja celebrations.

Photographed and curated by Virendra Bangroo, a recent exhibition on the Dard Aryans of Ladakh at the India International Centre, New Delhi, is both a tribute to their rich and ancient social and cultural legacy, and a fervent appeal to preserve their unique identity, which is rapidly getting eroded due to severe isolation in the inaccessible and tough terrain of Ladakh.